HELP BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR BEMBRIDGE

The Bembridge crew and community need your help to raise £1M towards the cost of their new lifeboat station and lifeboat. Your support will help save lives at sea.

Build Them A FutureThe Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat volunteers at Bembridge are crucial to the safety of one of the busiest shipping lanes in the United Kingdom. Since 1867, these volunteers have saved more than 1,300 lives at sea.

Whether aboard a cargo vessel, cross-Channel ferry, yacht or jet ski, hundreds of thousands of people every year have peace of mind thanks to these same volunteers. And if an emergency should arise, Bembridge’s lifesavers will respond with expertise and courage, whatever the time of day or night and whatever the weather. Coxswain Steve Simmonds and his crew are continuing a tradition that dates back to 1867 when the first lifeboat station opened here in Bembridge. 

But time hasn’t stood still – the RNLI is about innovation too.

From oar and sail-power to motor lifeboats, the charity has always risen to the challenge of saving lives at sea.  Call-outs to leisure craft have almost trebled at Bembridge in the last three decades.  As more and more people use the sea in this key location in the Solent, the demands on Bembridge’s lifeboat and crew can only grow.

Now Bembridge is set to receive a lifeboat fit for the 21st century – which requires the facilities to go with it.

A Tamar Class LifeboatA state-of-the art Tamar class lifeboat would bring faster responses and greater safety for the crew, but is too large and heavy for the original boathouse.

The supporting stilts and walkway of the current boathouse are more than 80 years old and crumbling away. Waves can dangerously crash over the walkway and anyone on it. There is nowhere dry for crew to get changed in and to store their kit. There is inadequate space for communications equipment, crew training, and visitors.

The crew, shore helpers and station personnel at Bembridge deserve the best facilities we can give them. They need YOUR help to continue their invaluable work. 

Help us say ‘thank you’ to our volunteers and to ensure their future at Bembridge.

To Donate:

Submit the online form
or Call 0845 650 3999 and quote ‘BLSA’
or send a donation to RNLI Bembridge Appeal, Admail 4109, Bembridge PO35 5ZS